ARUN SHOURIE CALLS FOR NEGOTIATIONS ON A BROAD FRONT TO FULLY
TAKE ON BOARD THE INTERESTS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES–
NEED TO RE-ESTABLISH CREDIBILITY OF WTO SYSTEM UNDERLINED
SYDNEY
INFORMAL WTO MINISTERS MEET GETS UNDER WAY
Shri Arun Shourie,
Minister for Disinvestment, Development of North Eastern Region
and Commerce and Industry, who is heading the Indian delegation
to the Informal WTO Trade Ministers Meeting at Sydney, has underlined
the need to ensure that the process of ongoing multilateral negotiations
is carried forward on a broad front so that the interests of developing
countries like India are fully taken on board and the credibility
of the multilateral trading system is re-established. Participating
in informal interactions with the Trade Ministers and other bilaterals
today, Shri Shourie said that "we must not move away from the
core of the Doha Declaration which is essentially trade and development"
and not issues which might be extraneous to this core such as
labour, environment and the like. Discussions on a broad front
were needed with a view to accommodating issues of concern to
different countries at different stages of development, the Minister
stressed. During the informal exchange of views, Shri Shourie
also suggested the setting up of a monitoring mechanism to ensure
that obligations taken by member countries do not act to their
detriment in any manner.
Shri Shourie put
forward the suggestion that in the area of technical assistance,
the multilateral trading system should focus not only on capacity
building to enable developing country members to participate effectively
in negotiations but should also actively help them in overcoming
barriers to trade. This would be in keeping with the Doha Ministerial
Declaration which had put development at the centre of multilateral
trade negotiations by underlining the important role that international
trade could play in the promotion of economic development and
alleviation of poverty.
During the informal
exchange of views, Mr. Supachai Panitchpakdi gave the Trade Ministers
an overview of the post Doha scenario and an assessment of the
priorities and challenges on the road to the next Ministerial
at Cancun. Ministers exchanged views on a broad range of issues
relevant in the context of the ongoing post Doha negotiations
– particularly TRIPS and Public Health and issues relating to
Implementation and Special and Differential Treatment which are
of significance to developing countries. Trade Ministers of about
25 countries are participating in the 2-day Informal Meeting including
India, Brazil, Mexico, China, Japan, Kenya, US and the EU.
